Update: An earlier version of this article didn’t make it clear that the 5800 XT doesn’t actually exist. This has been explained.
Last week, Naughty Dog and Sony released the specs for the PC port of The Last of Us (or TLOU if you’re cool). If these minimum requirements scared you, then we have good news because they have been updated and are not so demanding. Interestingly, the Iron Galaxy logo has also been placed on the new spec sheet, suggesting that it supports the port.
The Last of Us is a game dear to many people’s hearts, and in addition to being a critically acclaimed game, the HBO TV show based on it has been very well received, so interest in the PC port is greater than ever.
In addition to the addition of the Iron Galaxy logo, we may see some minor changes to the recommended requirements for players who want to play the game soon.
The good news is that the updated specs are actually lower than before, meaning more PC gamers will be able to play the game without having to spend money on hardware upgrades. For example, in the graphic below, you can see that if your performance goal is 60fps at 1080p instead of an AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT (8GB), gamers with the seemingly underpowered AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8GB) will be able to meet this specification.
As many people have pointed out, despite the existence of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8GB) and even the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, AMD never released the AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT. The reference to the GPU in the initial system requirements seems to be an unfortunate typo.
We have high hopes that the game will run smoothly and be as fun for PC gamers as it is for console gamers, as Iron Galaxy has done a pretty good job with the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection port. It’s not a great port by any means, but it’s definitely solid enough that the game wasn’t hampered.
Great news for everyone!
In preparation for The Last of Us PC launch on March 28, we are very pleased with the adjustments made to allow players with older hardware to still enjoy the game with a reasonable capacity. While the reference to the non-existent AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT was a mistake, we’re glad that it appears to be referring to the more affordable RX 5700 XT rather than the more expensive AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. When it comes to PC specs, a stray number can change context quite drastically.
With the popularity of the show and the subsequent resurgence of the fandom, many newcomers to TLOU will be pleased with the improved list of specs.
Let’s hope this is a trend we’ll see more of in the future and that those of us will stick with older, more familiar hardware to keep in mind when porting games from console to PC. There are no drastic changes between hardware specs in this case, but enough to hopefully warrant a positive response from the community.